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Welcome to Girl Founders, a student-driven space for turning creativity into action. Build your business plan, get matched with experienced mentors, and bring your vision to life with real support.
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Step-by-step business plan guides, best practices, and templates.Connect
Apply for a mentor who understands your goals and helps you level up.Launch
Showcase your idea and collect support to get off the ground.How to develop a business plan
A practical repository for students: what to write, how to structure it, and where to find excellent templates.
What problem are you solving?
Define the problem that you are trying to solve. Add numbers to be able to support your argument, and who experiences this problem.
- Guidelines: Frame 1–3 crisp problem statements; include who, when, and where; avoid proposing solutions here. Keep it focused on one core problem.
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Best practices:
- Include evidence that the problem is real (user quotes, simple survey results, or metrics that demonstrate demand).
- Add a short story or real example to make the problem relatable.
- Identify the root cause of the problem — why it exists and why it persists.
- Describe the current workarounds users rely on and why these options are incomplete or inefficient.
- Estimate how many people experience this problem to show its scale and importance.
- Templates: Value Proposition Canvas · 5Ws Template
What is your solution and why now?
Explain how your product or service solves the problem you defined. Keep your description clear, focused, and tied directly to the user’s pain points.
- Guidelines: Describe the key features or capabilities of your solution. Show how it addresses the core problem without going too deep into technical details. Focus on outcomes and user benefits
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Best practices:
- Use concise language to explain what your solution does and why it matters.
- Connect each feature directly to a user need or pain point.
- Include visuals or simple diagrams if they help illustrate how it works.
- Highlight what makes your solution different or better than current alternatives.
- Keep the focus on value, not just functionality.
- Templates: Figma wireframe templates · Canva pitch deck
Who is your customer and how big is the opportunity?
Define who your customers are and how large the opportunity is. Distinguish between your core users and adjacent segments.
- Guidelines: Clearly identify your target customer. Describe demographic, behavioral, or situational characteristics that define your primary market. Include secondary or future segments if relevant.
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Best practices:
- Size your market using simple, credible numbers (e.g., TAM, SAM, SOM).
- Show where your target customers exist (schools, online platforms, regions).
- Use relevant statistics to validate demand.
- Start narrow with a clearly defined “beachhead” market before expanding outward.
- Include any trends or shifts that make this market attractive today.
- Templates: TAM/SAM/SOM explainer · Market sizing template
How will you reach and win customers?
Describe how you will reach your customers, attract users, and achieve adoption. Focus on specific channels and tactics.
- Guidelines: Describe where your customers are, how you plan to reach them, and what will convince them to use your product. Focus on the first channels you will use (ex: social media, school clubs, word-of-mouth).
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Best practices:
- Start with the places your target users already spend time (Instagram, TikTok, school groups, clubs, etc.).
- Choose 2–3 main strategies instead of trying everything at once.
- Explain how you will get early users (e.g., sign-up form, school announcements, club partnerships).
- Show the simple journey a user takes: how they hear about you → why they try it → what makes them stay.
- Include any early interest or proof (e.g., “15 students said they would use this” or “We already have a list of people who want to try it”).
- Templates: HubSpot marketing plan · Social strategy guide
What are the numbers?
Explain the basic numbers behind your idea. This section shows whether your business can make money and how you plan to spend it.
- Guidelines: Describe how your business will earn money (your revenue model), what your main costs are, and any simple financial projections. Keep numbers realistic and easy to understand.
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Best practices:
- Use simple estimates rather than overly detailed spreadsheets.
- Show your main revenue streams (e.g., subscriptions, one-time purchases, ads).
- List your biggest costs (e.g., website hosting, supplies, marketing).
- Include a basic forecast: how many customers you expect in your first year.
- Keep the focus on clarity — your goal is to show you understand money flow.
- Templates: SCORE business plan · a16z startup model
Who is building this?
Describe who is working on the business and how you will make everything run smoothly. This section shows that you have the right people and a plan to execute.
- Guidelines: Introduce your team members, explain what each person does, and outline how your business will operate day-to-day.
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Best practices:
- Keep team roles focused and specific (e.g., Marketing Lead, Product Designer).
- Highlight each person’s strengths or experience, even if small (e.g., club leadership, coding skills, design experience, public speaking).
- Explain your basic operations: how you will build the product, deliver it, or work with users.
- Identify any support you need (e.g., teacher mentor, student volunteers, developer help).
- Show that your team is organized and capable of bringing the idea to life.
- Templates: Roles & responsibilities
What will happen when?
Show your plan for the next steps. This section explains what you will do first, what comes next, and how you will track your progress. It helps readers see that you have a realistic path forward.
- Guidelines: Outline your major goals and the order in which you will complete them. Focus on the next 3–12 months and keep your steps simple and achievable.
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Best practices:
- Break your plan into clear phases (e.g., research → build → test → launch).
- Include 4–8 realistic milestones you can actually complete.
- Make each milestone specific (e.g., “Interview 10 users,” not “Do research”).
- Show both short-term wins and longer-term goals.
- Use timelines, calendars, or mini-checklists if they help make the plan clear.
- Templates: Gantt templates
Appendix & References
Use the appendix to include any extra materials that support your business plan but don’t need to be in the main sections. Think of it as your “extras” folder.
- Guidelines: OAdd documents, data, visuals, or links that strengthen your plan. Only include items that are helpful and connected to your idea..
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Best practices:
- Include user surveys, interview notes, or screenshots of prototype designs.
- Add charts, graphs, or simple research findings if you have them.
- Place long explanations or detailed data here so the main plan stays clean.
- Use labels and short descriptions so readers know what each item is.
- Keep the appendix organized — treat it like a reference section.
- Templates: Appendix templates
Tip: Keep each section to one clear page for a crisp, judge-friendly plan.
Apply to find a mentor
Connect with someone who believes in your potential and can help turn your ideas into real progress. Your mentor will offer feedback, encouragement, and practical steps to help you build, test, and strengthen your project.
Why work with a mentor?
- Accelerate learning with real-world feedback.
- Expand your network and discover opportunities.
- Stay accountable with regular check-ins.
- Improve your plan with expert eyes.
Mentor Q & A
Meet our mentors
Our mentors include experienced founders, builders, and subject-matter experts who guide students through the process of developing and launching their ideas. They bring practical knowledge—and a genuine interest in helping you succeed.
We’re grateful for this community of mentors—thank you for sharing your time, experience, and encouragement.
Become a mentor
Your mentorship has the power to shape ideas, strengthen skills, and build confidence. Support student founders as they explore entrepreneurship and take their first steps toward creating real impact.
Apply
Mentor Q & A
Fund an idea
When you support a student project, you’re not just helping an idea—you’re helping a young founder take a bold step forward. Your support gives them the chance to test, build, and grow something meaningful with confidence.
About Girl Founders
We’re a student-driven space where young women in high school learn how to build, test, and launch their own ideas—supported by mentorship, hands-on tools, and a community that believes in them.
Mission & Team
Our mission is to support young women in high school by giving them the tools, opportunities, and confidence to explore the real process of building and launching their own businesses or organizations!
- Every idea deserves a chance
- Confidence through real skills
- Supportive, creative, collaborative
- Build, test, grow